What...my measurements are off? I believe that. :) These mockups are great! Thanks, Pevo & Geo! I've got to fiddle around with them a bit. Geokid, I was actually thinking of sticking the fridge there, hidden in plain sight, hanging over the end with something behind it (like the little wraparound cabinet that is there now). Pevo, that is not what I was thinking at all, so it's very good to see. So maybe it CAN be done! Interesting.... The kitchen location wasn't that weird when the house was built--there are about 1600 of the in this subdivision, all very similar, with kitchens in the front, including the house I just vacated (and redid the kitchen in). The living room and family room (assessor's terms) were divided by a wall where the odd peninsula is now and the "family" room probably served as a combo dining/family room. And of course there was a wall between the kitchen and living room. My last house did not have a little bumpout for the nook so I had no problem turning the whole room into kitchen (there was a dedicated dining room). I think I may have become spoiled! I've considered putting in an addition and putting the kitchen there. Once some walls are put in, the "family" room could be a combo dining/family room again and the current kitchen could get some walls back and be a...? That's the problem. I have to convince the spouse that the current kitchen space can serve as the room we were planning on putting in the addition. The kitchen would work better back there because there would be a good view of the backyard without requiring an obvious lack of walls.

You really shouldn’t post the same question twice. It is counter productive. I brought you out of the “unanswered” when I replied to your other post. Stick with that one and delete this. http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4876532/struggling-for-weeks-on-exterior-paint-color-please-help

The English write a lot of gardening books, which can be frustrating when you live in a climate where their idea of "hardy" covers a lot of plants that can't survive in your climate. What you can look at is structure. The first thing you want in your garden is a rhythm of heights. Here's an example of a garden with a lot of height variance. It's symmetrical, which is probably not what you want, given that your wall isn't. Here's another example of height variance. Again, a pretty formal garden. Gardens with not much color make it easier to focus on form. Then you want to look at color. Once you have a tree or two and how many shrubs, perennials of what sizes and colors, you can start to find plants that fit. So, you can take a photo of a great English garden suited to a climate nothing like your own and turn it into a guide for a garden with native S.A. plants that will thrive in your zone with little care. Here you have curved beds, varying size shrubs, a focus on foliage rather than flowers and probably some plants that would work for you. This could be adapted to your site easily. Put a tree (probably a smaller one) in the corner between the curve and the straight part, pull the bed by the curved part of the wall out and fill in with plants of the right height, put grasses along the straight part of the wall. You also want to consider what look you want: formal/informal, cottage/modern, lush/architectural, etc. Another consideration is views. Adjusting plans so that your garden is framed well in your windows is always nice. For plants that will thrive, go to botanical gardens, look at your neighbors, and look at what's growing in the wild. I find a lot of interesting plants in the wild spaces in my property. The English cultivated a lot of garden plants and the Asians did a bunch, too. That doesn't mean that those of us not in Asia or the UK don't have beautiful plants. The Native movement is just getting started in the US. If you do this, you do want to pay attention to make sure you're not going to stick a weed that will take over everything in your garden. Of course, nursery plants can be weeds, too. I'm assuming you want to have a garden that screens your wall. This is probably something you'll have in any whole yard landscaping plan. Although, if you want shade, you should start with shade trees in your yard.

Do you have any things you'd love to see every day? Do you like surfaces to stay pretty clean or do you like a lot of things on there? What are the colors you like? What kind of decor or other things do you find yourself drawn toward?